


A Matter of Trust

by fleurofthecourt



Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-01
Updated: 2011-07-17
Packaged: 2017-10-20 22:02:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/217533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurofthecourt/pseuds/fleurofthecourt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mozzie and Neal have finalized their plans to take off with their Nazi plunder. Is Neal ready to leave behind the new life that Peter has helped him build?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Neal and Mozzie clinked their wine glasses together and grinned at one another.

"Neal, are you sure the suit doesn't suspect anything?"

"Moz, I can never be sure of that. We know from the past two months that Peter has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. But I do know that I've been careful not to let anything slip."

"Good." Mozzie put the cork back into their wine bottle and used it to gesture to both Neal and the hula dancer perched on the counter, "You're all coming with me then. Tomorrow. One O'Clock. No suits." He emphasized the last two words with a sharp glance at Neal.

***

"Peter..." Neal half whispered, half hissed into the phone.

"Neal?" Peter asked, half asleep "It's three in the morning? Is everything okay?"

"Yes." Neal said evenly, but he thought better of his well practiced lying "Well, actually no. But I think it will be. Can you meet me tomorrow morning before work at this address"

Peter looked at the address that Neal had texted him; it wasn't anything he recognized off hand.

"Neal, what is this about? Should I be worried about you right now?"

"No. I don't think so." Neal said in an uncertain tone that made Peter think he definitely should. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Neal?" Peter said but the line had already gone dead.

****

Peter attempted to contact Neal a few more times unsuccessfully. He walked back into the bedroom and considered waking up Elizabeth to ask her advice. After watching her sleeping form for a moment, he decided he didn't want to bother her over Neal again and walked back out into the hall.

Then he called the FBI office and asked for the record on Neal's tracking anklet. After a few minutes, Peter learned that he hadn't left his two mile radius and had been at June's for the past several hours. Somewhat reluctantly, Peter climbed back into bed hoping to learn more about Neal's scheming in the morning.

***

Peter kissed Elizabeth on the cheek before walking out of the bedroom "Bye, hon."

"You're up early." Elizabeth rolled over. "Are you and Neal on another treasure hunt?"

"I hope not. I'm not sure it would be as fun as the last one," Peter walked out the door, absentmindedly patting Satchmo's head as he did so. As he got in the car, he set the GPS for the address Neal had sent him.

When he arrived, it appeared to be an average storage building, and nothing seemed immediately amiss. But he didn't see Neal. He continued to follow Neal's coordinates to the specific room. The room was completely empty except for a few foam packing peanuts scattered across the floor.

"Neal, what is this?" Peter asked the empty room.


	2. Chapter 2

After Neal was sure that Mozzie had left, he walked out onto the balcony from his room at June's and looked out over the New York City skyline. As he admired the view, he thought about everything that had happened since he'd been at June's. He still wished that he could give June some hint that he was leaving with no intention of coming back. At least saying goodbye to June would feel right. She would understand. But Mozzie was right. He couldn't do that.

Neal cast a glance in the other direction and sighed. The Chrysler building. A few months ago, this was just another building. Now it seemed to be angry with him. As he stared at the building, he could hear Peter's voice.

You did this.

He had successfully laughed it off from Peter's point of view. But it stung that Peter trusted him that little. Then again, he mused, maybe he deserved that little trust. He was, after all, about to throw away everything that Peter had given him over the past two and half years.

 

***  
Neal was restless. He couldn't stop thinking about everything that was going to happen the next day. He was worried about how successful his and Mozzie's plan was going to be. What would happen if it wasn't. He kept glancing at the red dot flashing intermittently on his tracking anklet. How he was going to feel betraying the trust of his co-workers at the FBI.

Neal threw up the covers and went over to the easel in corner. He hadn't been lying when he told Peter painting calmed the nerves. Without really thinking about it, he began painting the U-Boat. As he did, he realized he couldn't separate finding the tremendous art inside from everything Peter had done the day they had found it. Peter had allowed himself to be kidnapped, drugged, and put in the way of a bomb- all for the sake of helping and protecting Neal. And then he had shot Adler. Peter's sudden outburst at the docks had let Neal loose sight of the big picture.

Doubting everything about his plan, Neal reached for his cell and dialed Peter's number into the phone.  
***

Neal walked into the warehouse about an hour before he would typically show up at the FBI office. He imagined that Mozzie would be just about finished moving the art out of the building into the horse trailers they were going to drive into Canda. Then, safely out of US jurisdiction, they would take a plane to an as yet unnamed tropical island. They had decided it would be infinitely safer if Neal left to meet Mozzie halfway through work. No one would suspect Neal had disappeared during his lunch break until they were too far away for them to catch up. And his tracking anklet would again be on June's pug.

"Moz?" Neal peered into the storage room where they had been hiding the art. There were only a few pieces left against the far wall. Neal walked in and leaned against the wall to wait, assuming his friend would be back soon.

A few minutes later, to his surprise, Agent Matthews walked in the door.

"Hello, Neal" She said brightly.

"Agent Matthews, good to see you again." Neal grinned, unsure how he was going to get out of this. "As you can see, I've found part of the Nazi treasure. That's why you're here too?"

"It is. Now if you could pick up those last few pieces for me, that would be wonderful."

"Pick them up? What for?" Neal asked, confused

"So you can sell them with the others" Agent Matthews grinned at him and pulled a folded and worn piece of paper from her jacket pocket "I have the manifest now."

"Sell? Don't you work for D.C. art crimes?" Neal asked, now completely baffled.

"It is such a good cover. I find the people who do steal art and have them sell it for me. No one ever suspects the girl that dresses like a librarian and acts adamant about catching art thieves. Anyway," Agent Matthews pulled a phone from her pocket and showed a video feed to Neal, "are you going to pick those pieces up?"

Neal saw Mozzie handcuffed to a plain white wall, clearly conscious but seemingly a bit dazed. Unsure what else he could do, Neal collected the pieces and followed Agent Matthews out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

After realizing that Neal was nowhere to be found by the storage building, Peter decided the best course of action was to go to work. He picked up his phone and dialed Diana’s number.  
“Yes, boss?” Diana answered.   
“Can you pull the records on Neal’s tracking anklet from last night until now.”   
“Sure. What do you think Caffrey’s up to?” Diana asked, somewhat taken aback.   
“I have no idea. But I sure hope to find out.”   
****   
After Peter had driven back to the office, perhaps more quickly than was strictly necessary, he walked up to his desk.   
“Diana?”   
“I have his tracking record right here. He was at June’s, then he was at a warehouse, and then, it appears that the tracking data goes offline after he’s gone about two blocks. He didn’t take it off; it looks like it shorted out.”   
“Shorted out?”   
“It just stopped working.”   
“Neal could have disabled it,” Peter sighed. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions. “He’s done crafty things with the anklet before. I believe he put it on June’s pug when he went after Fowler. We really need to find him. Something is going on.”   
“I suppose it’s a long shot, but could we try to track the GPS on his phone?”  
“That’s not a bad idea. And why don’t we try calling June, Mozzie and Sara? And maybe Alex. See if they have any idea what Neal’s up to.”  
****   
By lunch time, Peter, Diana, and Jones were almost as in dark as they had been. June and Sara both said that Mozzie and Neal had been acting a little more strangely than usual the past couple days, but they had no thoughts on why. None of the numbers listed for Alex Hunter were working ones. Left with a feeling of unease and uselessness, Peter went to meet Elizabeth for lunch.   
“Hey,” Elizabeth greeted Peter as he sat down next to her, “Can you maybe explain this text from Neal to me?”   
“Neal texted you? El, we’ve been looking for him all morning.”  
“He’s missing?” Elizabeth looked concerned.   
“Well, I don’t know about missing. Disappeared perhaps.”   
“Honey, Neal trusts you. Maybe for once you should have some faith in him. I’m not saying that he fully deserves it, but at least reserve judgment until you find him. Anyway,” she handed her phone to Peter with Neal’s text displayed on the screen.   
Peter’s face fell. It was a nine digit phone number. “El, this is what he had me text him when Keller had me kidnapped.”  
“Why did he send it to me and not you?” Elizabeth asked, looking more concerned.   
“It probably wasn’t safe to send it to me. Which means it was probably only slightly safer to send it to you, but he knew you’d show it me. In any case, it’s a nine letter code.”   
Peter pulled a sheet of legal paper out of his briefcase and began trying to work out Neal’s puzzle.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:   
“Neal, just set those on the table there,” Agent Matthews said coolly, walking deeper into the apartment complex.   
Neal set the paintings down, trying to hone in on where they were. She had blindfolded him before driving, seemingly, across town.   
The building was obviously older judging by the narrow hallways and thick wooden smell that permeating the entire entryway. Agent Matthews turned around and started walking back towards Neal as he glanced out the narrow window in the doorway. The sun was too bright on his eyes to see the name on shop awning across the street really clearly. But it was something.   
****   
729-464-4361   
Peter had written out several columns putting the letters from these numbers together, ignoring the one (as there aren’t any letters on a one a phone keypad). There were only a few combinations that provided words and fewer still that were logical messages. The most logical combinations of which were ‘paying gem’ and ‘saying I do’ neither of which made much sense.   
Elizabeth had been chewing her food quietly to let Peter concentrate, but as she watched him scratch out a few of the less likely possibilities.   
“Saying I Do is a wedding boutique. There’s only two in Manhattan.”   
Peter looked at Elizabeth quizzically for a moment. “Why would Neal send you a text you about a wedding boutique? It doesn’t make any sense.”   
“Unless he’s at the wedding boutique.”  
“Or more likely, close to it. If he were in a store, I’m sure he wouldn’t need my help.”   
Peter picked up his phone and dialed Diana’s number.   
“Yes, boss?”   
“Can you look up a wedding boutique called Saying I Do, there should be two locations, and see what kind of buildings are nearby.”   
***  
After following Agent Matthews farther into the apartment complex, which seemed to become more eerily dim the deeper into the building they went, Neal attempted to pull out his phone. But Agent Matthews turned, glowered at him slightly.   
“Don’t” She said reached into her attache to reveal a small handgun and continued matter of factly “I really don’t like getting dirty and getting blood out of wood is not pleasant.”   
Neal nodded. And then asked “Did you have a buyer in mind for a piece?”   
“Yes. I don’t need you to try and find one of your associates to get you out of this.”   
“You do think of everything.” Neal grinned and continued following her up a rickety staircase. Finally, she opened a door, revealing Mozzie, still handcuffed to the wall.   
“I’d say I was glad to see you, but I’m not en-armoured of your company.”   
“Good to see you too, Moz. I’m glad our plans for the day worked out.”   
Agent Matthews led Neal over to a table in the corner of the room and gestured for him to sit down. She proceeded to handcuff both of his legs to the table legs as well as one arm.   
“You’ll need one hand free, unfortunately. In order to analyze this carefully” She said as she placed the U-Boat manifest on the table in front of him. “But you won’t be needing this.”  
She took his phone, and placed it in her coat pocket. As she walked towards the door, Neal leaned into the desk “Won’t I be needing a pen or pencil and another sheet of paper to cross reference the paintings with the manifest?”   
“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Agent Matthews turned to leave again.   
“What about the things that I told you that I need?” Mozzie asked “I can’t have my afternoon melon and nap routine interrupted just for your benefit. I’m the one that found the art to begin with.”   
Agent Matthews rounded on Mozzie and walked up to close to him “Please remember, I’m the one that has the keys to these handcuffs. And that I have a gun on my person. But as I just told Mr. Caffrey, I don’t particularly wish to use it.”   
As Agent Matthews threatened him, Mozzie used the opportunity to lean his elbow gently against her coat, causing Neal’s phone to fall back onto the floor. As it did, Neal pulled the table from the wall to muffle the clang as it hit the floor.   
“I just need a little better light.” Neal commented as Agent Matthews rounded to stare at him, as it turned out that the table was attached to the wall “this will do.”   
Agent Matthews looked a little baffled but walked out the door, “Neal, I expect you to have a thorough understanding of that list when I come back.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Boss, look at this.” Diana motioned for Peter to come over to her desk. Peter and Jones both followed and looked at the blue print she had laid out “This apartment building has been for sale for several months. It looks like the upkeep was too much for the landlord. And it is directly across the street from one of the two shops.”   
“Let’s go then.”  
****  
As soon as the sound of Agent Matthews’ heels died at the end of the hall, Mozzie worked to kick the phone across the floor. And Neal, who had already freed his hand from the table twisted himself awkwardly to pick it up.   
“Neal” Mozzie hissed, attempting to gesture to be quick about what he was doing “Do you really think it’s a good idea to get the suit involved?”   
“Moz, what choice do we have? Besides, I texted Elizabeth in code, in case Matthews comes back and sees the phone.” Neal said as softly as he could. Mozzie nodded, seeing the logic, as Neal added thoughtfully “Besides, Peter likes a good puzzle”   
“I’m glad the severity of our situation hasn’t escaped you.”   
“Relax, Moz. I can get us out of these handcuffs with a little work. Perhaps even before the feds get here.”   
****   
Peter and Diana carefully entered into the apartment building, leaving Jones stationed outside the front door with a few other agents standing by. Since they weren’t positive that Neal was there or where he would be if he were, they didn’t announce their presence. As they walked in the door, they saw the pieces of art on the table where Neal had placed them.   
“I’m betting those paintings don’t belong here.”   
“I’m betting you’re right.” Peter agreed as they moved further in to the seemingly abandoned building. Then they heard movement from one of the upper floors.   
****   
When Peter opened the door, he saw Neal holding the gun up to Agent Matthews.   
“Where is the rest of the art?” Neal demanded, his hands unsteady with his fingers sliding back and forth but never actually touching the trigger.   
Agent Matthews stepped forward and dug one of her shoe heels into Neal’s foot causing him to drop the gun in surprise. She picked the gun up and hit Neal across his forehead with it. Just as Peter yelled “Caffrey, put the gun down.”   
“Was that really necessary? He wasn’t really going to shoot you.” Peter said pointedly.   
“Look in his pocket” Agent Matthews suggested. Peter eyed her warily and walked over to Neal’s now unconscious form. The as he folded back Neal’s suit jacket, he saw a folded manila shaded paper. The U-Boat manifest.   
“Damn it, Neal.” Peter muttered, shaking his head in frustration. Then he rounded on Agent Matthews, “That doesn’t really explain your need to cold-cock him though.”  
Peter walked out into the hall where Diana was waiting for instructions, “Diana, can you escort Agent Matthews back to our offices so we can get her statement? I’ll deal with Neal.”

 

A/N: What happened between Neal and Mozzie's conversation and Peter walking into Agent Matthews and Neal's fight will be addressed, probably in the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Peter sat in the armchair in his family room with a newspaper partially open in front of him. He was half asleep and had given up the pretense of reading a long time ago. He kept surreptitiously glancing over at Neal, who was still sound asleep on the couch.   
“Hon, you can’t wake him up to yell at him,” Elizabeth said, kissing Peter on the cheek.   
“Going to bed?” Peter asked, observing that she had put on robe over a nightgown.   
“Perhaps against my better judgment,” Elizabeth said, with a quick glance at Neal.   
“Good night.” Peter pulled her in a for a longer kiss, then added, “I promise I will try my best not to jump to any conclusions. Elle, remember, we could have sent him to prison from the apartment building. But I’m going to hear him out about the art, the manifest, and Agent Matthews.”   
“That sounds like the brilliant man I married,” Elizabeth said as she began to go upstairs.

****  
Not long after Elizabeth had gone to bed, Neal opened his eyes blearily. He wasn’t particularly surprised when he realized he was in the Burke’s family room, nor when he felt the familiar weight of the tracking anklet against his leg. He reached one arm over the couch to try and pull himself up, but a wave of dizziness caused him to slip back down.   
“Easy,” Peter said, momentarily forgetting that he was both angry with and perplexed by Neal, and gently helped him into a sitting position. Then he gestured to the coffee table where a glass of water and two tablets of acetaminophen had been set out. “Take them, it should help.”   
“Thanks.” Neal took the medicine and leaned back into the couch. Then he looked over at Peter and asked, “So, am I here because you’re worried I’m going to run or because you’re worried that I have a concussion?”   
“Both,” Peter answered succinctly. “And you do have a concussion. Do you not remember the paramedic looking you over?”   
Peter glanced over at Neal, suddenly more concerned.   
Neal thought for a moment; he did remember, but it was vague, as though it had happened in a dream. He nodded slowly until Peter looked satisfied.   
“Do you want to tell me what happened today while it’s still fresh in your mind?”   
“I’m not sure fresh is the best word,” Neal said, grinning up at Peter and rubbing his forehead.   
“Neal, you can’t charm your way out of this. If you don’t tell me anything, I’m not going to have any choice but to send you back to prison. And right now, I’m not sure that’s a bad idea. When I came into the room earlier, you were demanding that Agent Matthews tell you where the art was.”   
“You don’t know the whole story.”  
“You’re right, I don’t. Enlighten me.”   
“I’ll start from the beginning, then. But first, I didn’t steal the art. Do you believe me?”  
Peter studied Neal carefully. “I want to believe you.”   
“Then believe me”


	7. Chapter 7

“Before I start, can I ask that you grant someone else immunity?” Neal asked.  
“Mozzie, I’m assuming?” Peter shook his head as he asked.  
“I didn’t say that.”  
“I’ll say for now that it depends on the crime or crimes committed.”  
“I suppose that’s fair.”  
“From the beginning then? I’m assuming this story goes back farther than today.”  
“It goes back to the day you shot Adler. Someone put all of the art in a storage room and directed me there.”  
“So someone stole it for you? And you didn’t report it to the authorities?”  
“I’m reporting it to the FBI right now.”  
“Neal, you have had stolen art in your possession for two months now; this isn’t something that can be overlooked by the bureau.” Even though he wasn’t particularly surprised, Peter looked completely dismayed.  
“It has never been in my possession. And until today, it was in the storage facility I told you to meet me at this morning, which was never in my name.”  
“Fine. I’m not letting this go, but I need to hear the rest of the story. So, you and Mozzie were planning on running with the art, but you got cold feet?”  
Neal nodded as he decided that if he was going to to tell the truth, he might as well tell all of it.  
“Okay. So where does Agent Matthews come in?” Peter asked, looking conflicted.  
“She took all of the art from the storage facility, and then she took me to that apartment building after showing me that she had kidnapped Mozzie and handcuffed me to a chair with the instructions to look over the manifest before choosing a piece to fence for her.”  
“So she’s using her position in D.C art crimes to commit art crimes....”  
“So simple, it’s brilliant.”  
“I suppose you could look at it that way. But you still haven’t gotten to why, when I found you, you had her at gunpoint.”  
“Well, Mozzie and I were attempting to escape the apartment building, and I had picked the locks on all but one set of handcuffs when she walked back in the room. Then she walked back into the room and pulled her gun on us.”  
“But no one was shot; there would have been blood.”  
“Well, she tried to shoot me. I don’t think she’d ever shot a gun before though because she missed completely. You will find a bullet in one of the floorboards if you look carefully, though.” Neal leaned back into the couch, looking very much like he was going to fall back asleep.  
“So she wasn’t exactly a crackshot, but you still had to get the gun away from her somehow,” Peter prompted.  
“That’s where Mozzie comes in; while she was focusing on firing at me again, he used the opportunity to use the handcuffs to knock her off balance long enough for her to drop the gun.”  
“And you took it? And pulled it on her?”  
“Yes. I had to stall her somehow. If she wasn’t there when you got there, none of my story would have any credibility.”  
“True. Well, what happened to Mozzie?”  
“He didn’t want to be in the building when the FBI showed up; you know how much he likes the feds.”  
“He didn’t know we were coming anymore than you did.”  
“I have complete faith in your code cracking abilities, and Mozzie took my phone just in case.”  
“And immediately called to tell me exactly where you were.”  
“What?”  
“It was a fairly large apartment complex; we didn’t find the right room by sheer luck. Mozzie didn’t tell me any of the details; he said you would though,” Peter smiled at the stunned look on Neal’s face.  
“I think I’m going to regret telling you the whole story now.”  
“I think Mozzie expected you to if it’s any consolation. But the question now, is what am I going to do with you two.”  
“Peter, I’m sorry. I should have told you from the beginning.”  
“You’re right; you should have,” Peter looked more disappointed than angry.  
“We can give all of the art to the bureau.”  
Peter thought about this for a moment.  
“Actually, Neal, you don’t have the art, and you have never been in possession of the art.”  
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Neal’s eyes lit up.  
“Agent Matthews needs to stop using her job for criminal leverage; it gives the rest of us good guys a bad name.”  
“Peter, are you sure you don’t want me to turn myself in?”  
“Neal, I’ve suspected that you took the art the whole time. And you know that. Part of me feels guilty about that and part of me feels vindicated. But, I know that you had your doubts about running off with the art even before yesterday.” Peter rubbed at his forehead as he thought to himself, “You were reaching out to me when you we’re telling me about the rush of the con, and I just didn’t know what to do with that information.”  
“Does this mean you trust me?” Neal asked drowsily.  
“Neal, I don’t think I’m going to trust you for a long time. I may not want you to go back to jail, but you have been keeping secrets from me that could jeopardize your entire life as well as my job.”  
“I know. I know. If it helps, I think I’ve hit bottom now.” He pulled the blanket back up towards his chin and closed his eyes.  
“That does help.” Peter said. Then, he looked at Neal, “Well, it doesn’t look much like you’re up to going after Matthews tonight; get some sleep.”


End file.
